Eight Fuji Viewpoints in a Day: Chureito's 400 Steps and the Lawson Everyone Photographs

Eight places around Mount Fuji in one day, out of Tokyo or Shinjuku, and each of them frames the mountain differently. Lake Kawaguchi came out of an eruption ten thousand years ago and has been UNESCO-listed since 2013 as part of the Fujisan cultural site. Its shoreline bends enough to give a dozen angles on the mountain, and on a still day the water holds the whole cone. Oishi Park has a flower road 350 metres long, planted so that something is out in every season: cherry blossom, then lavender, then autumn colour, then reeds in the snow. From the second floor of the Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center, the red torii lines up with the summit. The Lawson convenience store is on the list because a blue shopfront under Mount Fuji became one of the most photographed views in Japan. The ice cream inside is a bonus. Oshino Hakkai is eight springs fed by snowmelt off the mountain, counted among the hundred famous waters of Japan. The water is free to drink and carries a legend of long life. The village around it sells udon, soba, kusamochi and kushidango. Arakurayama Sengen Park is named among 21 places photographers should see in a lifetime. The Chureito Pagoda stands above it, five storeys, up nearly 400 steps. The Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine was built in 705. When Fuji erupted in 807 and the country panicked, this is where the fire-control ceremony was held. The last stop is the Hikawa Clock Shop on Shimoyoshida Honcho Street, at the foot of the street they call the stairway to Mount Fuji. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.